Magnetic swarm intelligence of mass-produced, programmable microrobot assemblies for versatile task execution

Abstract

Battery- and sensor-free actuation of microrobots complicates heterarchical inter-robot communication. Herein, swarm intelligence of magnetically anisotropic microrobots is presented via the programming of magnetic interactions between the microrobots to self-assemble along their longitudinal, intermediate, or horizontal axis. Mass production is implemented through in situ replica molding and magnetization for hundreds of anisotropic microrobots on a single microarray mold. Under a rotating magnetic field, the anisotropic microrobots autonomously engage in local magnetic interactions, forming a swarm with a high aspect ratio, high packing density, or high assembly stiffness. The microrobot swarms are deployed to perform self-climbing, self-throwing over an obstacle, lifting of an obstacle, cargo transportation, wire connection and disconnection, liquid metal shape modification, tube unclogging, and organism guiding. The versatile task execution by mass-produced magnetic microrobots offers insights into high-throughput processing and swarm control of miniaturized robots, expanding the functional capabilities of robot collectives.